Meanings
- rareuncountableThe state or condition of being idle; a habit of idling; idleness.
Planned Idlehood
1960, Catholic World, volume 191, page 1973 more examples
It is but too clearly proved and too sadly illustrated in the experience and lives of many ministers, who lay down, half gladly, half reluctantly, the weapons of the old struggle whenever the shelter of the manse is gained - who allow the old ideals of self - culture and self-discipline to fade away and get utterly lost sight of amid the engrossing cares or drowsy idlehood of professional life.
1883, The United Presbyterian Magazine, volume 27, page 88[…] laborers contented with their condition, lest they should grow dissatisfied and refuse to work any longer to support a certain number of their fellow beings is a state of idlehood; […]
1965, The Broadway Journal, volume 1, page 265But he didn't even seem to enjoy his idlehood.
2014, Sandeep Dahiya, Faceless Gods, page 57
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Middle Englishidelhed“vanity”
- Englishidlehood
From idle + -hood, possibly an alteration of obsolete English idlehead (“idleness”), possibly from Middle English idelhed (“vanity”). Compare also Scots ydilheid (“idleness”), Dutch ijdelheid (“vanity, vainglory”), Middle Low German îdelheit (“idleness”), and German Eitelkeit (“vanity, conceit, vainness, idleness”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
idlehood. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/idlehood
“idlehood.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/idlehood. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “idlehood,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/idlehood.
Source: idlehood on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.